A team of geothermal project developers aim to construct and operate the largest geothermal power plant in California’s Imperial Valley. An equally experienced team is planning the engineering, construction and operation of a companion plant that will use a proprietary carbon-dioxide-negative technology to recover minerals from the geo­thermal plant’s brine before it is reinjected into the reservoir. Operating together, the plants will compose a CO₂-negative, renewable-energy power producer.

Controlled Thermal Resources US Inc. is developing the Hell’s Kitchen Geothermal project on the southeast shore of the Salton Sea, drawing on “a very robust resource,” says Jim Turner, business development manager. Being developed now for an estimated cost of more than $500 million, the first phase will consist of a pair of three-inlet, 140-MW (gross) turbines. Following completion and commissioning of phase one, a twin plant will be built adjacent, with a planned third on the 1,880-acre leasehold. The total cost of the 750-MW (net) development will be less than $1 billion, Turner says.